SpyGlass User Guide

SpyGlass is a desktop app for managing public and secret contacts, optimised for typing commands while still having a visual display. If you can type fast, SpyGlass handles tasks faster than standard applications.

Quick start

  1. Ensure you have Java 17 or above installed in your computer.

    • Mac users: Ensure you have the precise JDK version prescribed here.

  2. Download the latest .jar file from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for SpyGlass.

  4. Open a command terminal, cd into the folder where you put the jar file, and use the java -jar SpyGlass.jar command to run the application.

  5. On your first launch, you will be prompted to secure your data. Enter a password to initialise SpyGlass. Note that your password cannot be empty or contain spaces. Password Setup

  6. After setting your password, a GUI similar to the image below should appear. Note how the app contains some sample data to help you get started. Ui

  7. Execute Commands: Type your command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. For example, typing help prints the command manual in the command history panel.

    Try these example commands:

    • list : Lists all contacts in the current mode.
    • add -n John Doe -p 98765432 -e johnd@example.com -a John street, block 123, #01-01 : Adds a contact named John Doe.
    • delete 3 : Deletes the 3rd contact shown in the current list.
    • unlock PASSWORD : Unlocks the app to access secured contacts.
    • lock : Locks the app to display only a limited set of public contacts.
    • exit : Exits the app.

  8. Refer to the Features section below for details on every available command.

Features

Notes about the command format:

  • Words in UPPER_CASE are the parameters to be supplied by the user.
    e.g. in add -n NAME, NAME is a parameter which can be used as add -n John Doe.

  • Items in square brackets are optional.
    e.g -n NAME [-t TAG] can be used as -n John Doe -t friend or as -n John Doe.

  • Items with …​ after them can be used multiple times including zero times.
    e.g. [-t TAG]…​ can be used as   (i.e. 0 times), -t friend, -t friend -t family etc.

  • Parameters can be in any order.
    e.g. if the command specifies -n NAME -p PHONE_NUMBER, -p PHONE_NUMBER -n NAME is also acceptable.

  • Extraneous parameters for commands that do not take in parameters (such as list, exit and clear) will be ignored.
    e.g. if the command specifies list 123, it will be interpreted as list.

  • If you are using a PDF version of this document, be careful when copying and pasting commands that span multiple lines as space characters surrounding line-breaks may be omitted when copied over to the application.

App Modes: Locked and Unlocked

SpyGlass has two distinct modes:

  • Locked Mode: Displays a public set of contacts. In this mode, the application window displays the name AddressBook to mask its true identity as SpyGlass.
  • Unlocked Mode: A private view that displays a hidden set of contacts. Access this mode by entering your password.

Each mode maintains its own separate list of persons. Contacts added in Locked mode will only appear in Locked mode, and contacts added in Unlocked mode will only appear in Unlocked mode.

When you first launch the app, it starts in Locked mode. After password setup, use the unlock command with your password to switch to Unlocked mode.

Command History Display

The Command Display panel keeps a history of past command results.

Unrestricted Commands

Unrestricted commands are the basic functions of SpyGlass that are available in both Locked and Unlocked modes.

Viewing help : help

Shows a concise command manual in the command history panel.

Format: help [COMMAND]

Examples:

  • help
  • help add
  • help toggle

Adding a person: add

Adds a person to the address book.

Format: add -n NAME -p PHONE_NUMBER -e EMAIL -a ADDRESS [-t TAG]…​

Tip: A person can have any number of tags (including 0)

Examples:

  • add -n John Doe -p 98765432 -e johnd@example.com -a John street, block 123, #01-01
  • add -n Betsy Crowe -t friend -e betsycrowe@example.com -a Newgate Prison -p 1234567 -t criminal

Listing all persons : list

Shows a list of all persons in the address book.

Format: list

Editing a person : edit

Edits an existing person in the address book.

Format: edit INDEX [-n NAME] [-p PHONE] [-e EMAIL] [-a ADDRESS] [-t TAG]…​

  • Edits the person at the specified INDEX. The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed person list. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​
  • At least one of the optional fields must be provided.
  • Existing values will be updated to the input values.
  • When editing tags, the existing tags of the person will be removed i.e adding of tags is not cumulative.
  • You can remove all the person’s tags by typing -t without specifying any tags after it.

Examples:

  • edit 1 -p 91234567 -e johndoe@example.com Edits the phone number and email address of the 1st person to be 91234567 and johndoe@example.com respectively.
  • edit 2 -n Betsy Crower -t Edits the name of the 2nd person to be Betsy Crower and clears all existing tags.

Locating persons by name: find

Finds persons whose names contain any of the given keywords.

Format: find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]

  • The search is case-insensitive. e.g hans will match Hans
  • The order of the keywords does not matter. e.g. Hans Bo will match Bo Hans
  • Only the name is searched.
  • Only full words will be matched e.g. Han will not match Hans
  • Persons matching at least one keyword will be returned (i.e. OR search). e.g. Hans Bo will return Hans Gruber, Bo Yang

Examples:

  • find John returns john and John Doe
  • find alex david returns Alex Yeoh, David Li
    result for 'find alex david'

Deleting a person : delete

Deletes the specified person from the address book.

Format: delete INDEX

  • Deletes the person at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed person list.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

  • list followed by delete 2 deletes the 2nd person in the address book.
  • find Betsy followed by delete 1 deletes the 1st person in the results of the find command.

Clearing all entries : clear

Clears all entries from the address book.

Format: clear

Exiting the program : exit

Exits the program.

Format: exit

Restricted Commands

Restricted commands are mode-dependent, whose availability changes based on whether SpyGlass is in Locked or Unlocked mode.

Note: When the app is in Locked mode, entering a restricted command incorrectly will result in an Unknown command message. This is intentional to mask the app's capabilities from unauthorized users.

Locking the app : lock

Locks the app and switches to Locked mode, displaying only the contacts in the Locked mode list.

Format: lock

Example:

  • lock : Locks the app and displays the limited contact list.

Unlocking the app : unlock

Unlocks the app and switches to Unlocked mode by verifying your password. This command displays the list of contacts in the Unlocked mode list.

Format: unlock PASSWORD

  • You must provide the correct password that was set during the initial setup.
  • If the password is incorrect, the app will remain locked.

Examples:

  • unlock mySecurePassword123 : Unlocks the app with the provided password.

Toggling a contact status : toggle

Toggles the specified contact between Public and Sensitive.

Format: toggle INDEX

  • Toggles the contact at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed person list.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, ...
  • This command is only available in Unlocked Mode.
  • A contact toggled to Sensitive will no longer appear in Locked Mode.
  • A contact toggled to Public will appear in Locked Mode.

Examples:

  • toggle 1 : Toggles the 1st contact's status.

Saving the data

SpyGlass data are saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.

Editing the data file

SpyGlass data for unlocked and locked modes are saved automatically as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/addressbook.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

The file stores the contact data at the top, followed by your password.

Caution: If the password field is missing, empty or contains spaces, the app will prompt you to set a password again when you next open it. If your changes to the data file makes its format invalid, SpyGlass will discard all data and start with an empty data file at the next run. Hence, it is recommended to take a backup of the file before editing it.
Furthermore, certain edits can cause the SpyGlass to behave in unexpected ways (e.g., if a value entered is outside the acceptable range). Therefore, edit the data file only if you are confident that you can update it correctly.

FAQ

Q: How do I transfer my data to another Computer?
A: Install the app in the other computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous SpyGlass home folder.

Known issues

  1. When using multiple screens, if you move the application to a secondary screen, and later switch to using only the primary screen, the GUI will open off-screen. The remedy is to delete the preferences.json file created by the application before running the application again.

Command summary

Action Format, Examples
Add add -n NAME -p PHONE_NUMBER -e EMAIL -a ADDRESS [-t TAG]…​
e.g., add -n James Ho -p 22224444 -e jamesho@example.com -a 123, Clementi Rd, 1234665 -t friend -t colleague
Clear clear
Delete delete INDEX
e.g., delete 3
Edit edit INDEX [-n NAME] [-p PHONE_NUMBER] [-e EMAIL] [-a ADDRESS] [-t TAG]…​
e.g.,edit 2 -n James Lee -e jameslee@example.com
Find find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]
e.g., find James Jake
List list
Lock lock
Toggle toggle INDEX
e.g., toggle 1
Unlock unlock PASSWORD
e.g., unlock mySecurePassword123
Help help [COMMAND]
e.g., help add

Availability Table for Restricted Commands

Command Available In
unlock Locked Mode
lock Unlocked Mode
toggle Unlocked Mode